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Historic opportunity to push forward rights and recognition: Assembly of First Nations

Author of the article:

Gordon Hoekstra

Publishing date:

July 24, 2018 • 3 minute read

Assembly of First Nations national chief Perry Bellegarde holds the eagle staff as he waits to lead the grand entry at the opening of the AFN annual general meeting in Vancouver on Tuesday.DARRYL DYCK/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

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As hundreds of chiefs gathered in Vancouver in preparation for a vote Wednesday to choose a new head of the Assembly of First Nations, delegates said it was an historic opportunity to make gains in rights, recognition, language and child welfare.

That is in part because of the perception that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s federal government, as well as that of Premier John Horgan’s NDP in B.C., are more open to advancing First Nations’ rights than previous governments.

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Among resolutions being considered at the three-day annual general meeting of the AFN are those on advancing health legislation for First Nations, a First Nations national housing council, a national languages act, ensuring access for First Nations children to government services, and improving safe drinking water resources.

First Nations are also interested in having the federal government unequivocally adopt the United Nations 2007 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which calls for free, prior, informed consent before development of traditional Aboriginal lands.

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Under the Trudeau government, Bill C-262, an act to ensure the laws of Canada are in harmony with the UN declaration, has passed third reading in the House of Commons and is now before the Senate.

But some critics say the Trudeau government’s approach will undermine the UN declaration and retain a status-quo relationship under federal government jurisdiction.

“We are at an unprecedented time where both the federal and provincial governments are at the table,” said Terry Teegee, the B.C. regional chief for the AFN and one of several B.C. First Nations representatives do address the assembly on Tuesday.

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“But to move beyond recognition and just symbolism, there needs to be action. There needs to be commitment from the provincial and federal governments. There needs to be resources.”

Added Teegee: “We must work together — and those rights must be recognized in law.”

The AFN represents more than 600 First Nations and collectively more than 900,000 First Nation people.

There are five candidates for chief: one-term incumbent Perry Bellegarde, a former chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Chiefs; Russ Diabo, a Mohawk policy analyst; Miles Richardson, a former Haida Nation president; Sheila North, grand chief of the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak; and Katherine Whitecloud, a former Manitoba regional chief of the AFN.

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Bellegarde has been accused by some of his rivals as being too close to the Trudeau government. Bellegarde says his work is gaining momentum and is not yet done.

In candidate speeches Tuesday, both Diabo and Richardson told the assembly that the status-quo relationship with the federal government has to change and it is time for the Indian Act to be pushed aside.

Richardson, the former Haida Nation president, has received endorsements from three former AFN chiefs: Ovide Mercredi, Matthew Coon Come and George Erasmus.

On Tuesday, former Musqueam chief Wendy Grant-John pointed to a history of First Nations fighting for their rights, saying a new AFN chief will have to continue that fight for sovereignty.

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She noted she was speaking in place of Musqueam chief Wayne Sparrow because he was out fishing on the Fraser River, and noted that right had been won through an important court fight, the 1990 Sparrow decision, entrenching those rights in the constitution.

Speaking of the Wednesday vote, Grant-John said: “We need to make an important decision on who is going to represent and advocate on behalf of all of our communities across the country for that sovereignty and that ability to make the decisions about who we are, where we come from and how we make our laws.”

He told the assembly that his First Nation shared a common history and language with the Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh and that recently they have started to work together to push forward their claims for land and rights.

That effort has resulted in the three First Nations “re-acquiring” land that has resulted in them being the largest landholder in Vancouver. “We achieve more when the three Nations are working together than we do when we are fighting each other. If we fight each other, we get 100 per cent of nothing,” said Rivers.

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